How long did it take you to get good?

[phillyk]

It depends when you get started.  I was 8 or 9 when I started and really didn't start breaking 100 til age 15, but i quickly went to breaking 80 by age 16.  Starting as a kid, you can't really take a full swing yet, not enough muscle tone for it.  But If you start as an adult, I think with practice and a little bit of instruction first, you can break 100 pretty quick.

[Lihu]

I started about 5 years ago, but played righty. I switched about the time I joined this site. I was so bad that I didn't even really score my first 15-20 rounds. Once I got on this site, and started taking lessons locally. My first official score was something like 115. My coach at the time was disappointed to say the least. So, I worked on a bunch of stuff, and finally got a score in the 100 range. Then it was not until about 9 months of floundering and hitting tons of balls into my net and driving range that I broke 90 for the first time. This was not a breakthrough, though. It was really lucky, and I floundered for another half year?

This is about when Erik told me to see Mike @mvmac for "special" help. Special in the way retarded learners need help that is. This was more than a year and a half ago. I was shooting 43-45 on the shorter 9 hole courses in my area, but that was because of my short game and putting at the time. After 5 lessons with Mike and Dana and about 6 months of fumbling around with what they told me to do, I was able to finally break into the 80s on 72 rated courses. Still not a true breakthrough, but starting to develop my swing.

It was not until I got back onto the range 3 months ago that I can say I developed more consistent power. Again, this was at prompting from Erik.

But at this point, I've broken 80 a few times, even on a course I've never played before. I feel like there is a lot more potential improvement once I get rid of my OTT pulls. Yet another prompting from Erik to get rid of it, and I am currently working on it.

I'm trying to think back and see if there is a way I could have done it faster? Maybe, if I started off swinging with my core muscles, I could have progressed a lot faster? The issue is if I could have been taught that from the get go? Maybe if I was near Erie, and was able to get lessons and hit balls with a launch monitor for hours at the Golf Evolution facility?

In any case, I am happy with what I've got and ever so slightly just starting to make a breakthrough. Lots more work to do, but at least I'm able to write down decent scores.

So, something like 4.5 years from 36+ handicap to writing "decent" scores?

[Bryan Kasper]

I used the search bar above,

http://thesandtrap.com/newsearch?search=how+long+did+it+take+you

There are a lot of threads already about this subject.

ahhh yes. thank you sir. i totally forgot about that

[Club Rat]

For about the first five years, my scores were rounds in the 90's. I had a handful in triple digits during the beginning years.

I started playing in Mens Games and maintained a USGA handicap in 1985.

The first few years, my index varied between 12.8 down to 10ish.

I finally broke into single digit and have maintained it through the years.

My best years, I was once down to 3.2 and hated playing at that level.

It was too stressful and no longer fun. It just placed too much emphasis on low scoring rounds every single time I played.

I found more enjoyment playing between the 5-7 range, and enjoy the days when I have really good rounds.

Score average has been around 82 for the past 10 years and golf is always fun and always competitive.

Club Rat

[dfreuter415]

I started golfing 55+ years ago. I was fortunate to grow up in the suburbs with a large back yard. I went to Zayre's and bought a Matt Andrews 7 iron and some golf balls. I used plastic balls for longer shots and regular balls for chipping. I learned not to hit the regular golf balls near the house after putting one through the kitchen window. I dug some holes in the back yards and put empty cans in them. When we were 10 or so, our parents took my brothers and myself to play par 3 courses. At that point, I was hooked.

I still remember Texaco sponsoring a series of golf tips from well known golfers of the day. Every time you stopped at a Texaco station your would get another tip. I used those tips when I practiced in the back yard. I googled Texaco and couldn't find out much more about those golf tips, but I did find a Texaco commercial from the 60's with Julius Boros. (below)

We had 3 nine hole public courses near our home, and I would play them beginning age 12. I still remember my first round at with a full set on clubs. I shot 53 on a par 32 setup. By the time I was in high school I shot in the 80's, and would thump my brothers on a regular basis. I eventually broke 80 my sophomore year of college.

I finally became a consistent golfer when I invested a month's salary to attend a Golf Digest school at age 25.

[inthehole]

I started at age 46, got the bug bad ... played over 100 rounds every year for the past 4 years (most 9 holes after work).      I would say I was shooting around 90 after 3 years, now shooting mid 80's on avg - low 80's fairly regularly.   Golf is a game of repetition ... for me, keys are not losing drives OB (short & straight is good, OB is bad), solid chipping and giving lag putting my full attention and especially making ALL 3 foot putts.

[Pete]

I've been playing regularly for about 6 years now. I got down to a single digit handicap in 1 year by just playing as often as I could.

[vangator]

I started when I was 18 (40 years ago) in 1975. I recall that I was regularly hitting in the 70's in the 70's. I was a pretty long hitter back then. Posted some pretty wild scores. One day I could hit 70 and the next 88. Now everything is in the 70's. I've never been a good putter. One round I even putted with a rake to see if I could score better. :-D

[inthehole]

. I got down to a single digit handicap in 1 year by just playing as often as I could.

always has to be somebody to break the curve for the rest of us !!     LOL - j/k ... pretty good progress there

[SteveH]

Took up golf for the first time about 6 years ago, in my 50's. I have gotten the bug bad and spent 2 winters practicing/playing indoors on a simulator which really helped ball striking for me as I could see my angles etc and work on them. The the last 2 years I have played nearly every day in the summer and about 2-3 times a week last winter as I went away, I also took a few lessons this spring thst focused on improving my swing path. My game has improved but I practice a lot. Shot a few rounds in the high 80's now and my hci has dropped to 13. I am practicing a lot more on my short game now to try and get consistently in the 80's which should help my hci even more. I find it a difficult sport but I like a challenge.

[Tgb02]

Just got to 12 about 6-7 months into playing and hoping to be low single digit in the next 6 months!